Jessica Baran encapsulates the St Louis arts scene

Waves and Rococo As the exhibition title foretells, these abstract paintings by St. Louis-based artist Jerald Ieans are curvaceous, elaborate and decorative. The show is a study of a single, undulating, bell-curvish form — centrally placed and pressed inside the canvas edges above several layers of similar, echoing forms. Each layer is a shade of a single hue, precisely masked off in rigorously regulated brush strokes, the rough drag of which crosshatches in opposing directions and creates a subtly tactile, intricate and textile-like surface. Hung in pairs, the floral-colored pieces suggest a desire for tension: a piece in midnight shades plays against one in earth tones. But chromatic tension isn't enough; as the pairings imply, something with more depth is needed here — flamboyant excess, revelatory flaw, more elusive or aggressive formalism — to match the work's executional intensity and challenge its cool ornamentality. Through July 4 at Hoffman LaChance Contemporary, 2713 Sutton Boulevard, Maplewood; 314-960-5322 or www.hoffmanlachancefineart.com. Hours: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Wed.-Fri., noon-5 p.m. Sat and by appointment.